


Fade Away in the Stars

by MistBorn_SprenDeath



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: <- But not in a legal sense, Keith and Shiro are like brothers, Keith has a twin, PoV stays on Earth -> doesn't go into space, Shiro has a younger Sister, Siblings AU, Slight modification in canon dialogue and canon events, broganes, follows canon events
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-12
Updated: 2018-12-12
Packaged: 2019-06-06 08:16:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,643
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15190628
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MistBorn_SprenDeath/pseuds/MistBorn_SprenDeath
Summary: Keith Kogane, Kathrine Kogane, Takashi Shirogane, and Tabatha Shirogane. They swore to always stick together. Then Shrio and Tab were declared dead along with the Halts."Why? Why me? Why?!"





	1. Chapter 1

Keith paced back and forth in front of the large board, brows furrowed as he tried to connect all the dots in his head. His twin sat on the couch and watched for a moment before Kat stood and grabbed his arms. "Keith! Calm down! You're stressing me out with your pacing!" Glaring at her, he pulled away going back to the board. "Nothing changed, Kat! It's almost been an entire **year**! I've felt the energy and you've seen the caves! What else is missing?!"  _Shiro and Tabs._ Under every pin and picture, there was an image of Takashi and Tabatha. They both knew that somehow the two Shirogane siblings were involved. 

"Keith." Katherine moved quickly to the bedrooms and brought back a large poster that she had forgotten about. "Keith, what if-" Laying the poster on the table, Kat revealed a detailed map that she had drawn for one of her classes at the Garrison before they were kicked out. "We planted some sort of explosives out here? The Garrison would have to send at least a small Delta Squad to check it out." Keith beamed, catching onto what his twin was suggesting. "And Delta Squads always have a digger with them!" 

Grinning and doodling animated bombs onto her map, Kat continued. "Which would be a perfect opportunity to take their digger and get farther into the caves! Maybe we can finally unblock the path at the end of the tunnel!" 

\- - - - - -

"Keith. Keith. Hey, Keith. Keith. Keithy. Mr. Hippo. Sharp. Keith. Keith. KEEEEEIIIIIIITH~~!" Turning angrily, Keith glared at his sister. "What?! What, Katherine?!" She grinned at him. "Are you done yet?" At that moment, Keith seemed to be deciding if he should set the detonator now and take them both out. "Yes, no thanks to you, Miss I-flunked-out-of-all-my-weapons-classes." Kat stuck her tongue out at her brother. "Not all of us can be like you, Sharp. Mom left _you_ her knife, not me." Sighing as he stood up and brushed the dirt off his pants, Keith turned to face his sister. "Ya, but she left you her high-tech dictionary." 

The twins had spent so much time looking into the book that they now used the weird words as a secret code, but Kathrine was much better at the language. "Fair point. Did you set up enough? It's going to get really hot soon, and we should be inside by then." Keith nodded and made his way to his hoverbike. "Ya, we should wait until tonight. All the cadets will be locked in and only the juniors will be permitted to go out." Quickly hopping onto the bike behind her brother, Kat mused to herself. "The juniors are way too cocky. Just a year away from being Seniors, but still over all the other classes. They should be easy to distract. All of them want to prove themselves to Ivy-bone so they'll be trying to one-up each other."

\- - - - - -

Kathrine glared at her brother menacingly. "Wait, what do you mean, "You're staying here"?! This is a team effort, Sharp!" Keith could see his sister was slightly hurt by the fact that he was trying to leave her behind. "I need you to stay here so that you can watch me from the cameras. I don't want to get caught, so I'm going to need you to be on the link." Kat was soothed slightly. Out of the two twins, Kat had the sharper eyes and faster reflexes so she was always the one on surveillance. "Fine, but you better be quick, or else I'm going to come in after you." Keith grinned at her, shooting a thumbs up and quickly made his way back to the hoverbike. "I'll be back before you know it, Flat!"

\- - - - - -

The camera feed was displayed on several screens, allowing Kathrine to watch multiple locations for the event. The screen which was linked to the camera closest to the explosives showed several Garrison vehicles moving fast. "Keith! What did you do?! They're already coming!" Moving quickly from screen to screen, Keith and his hoverbike made progress over the desert's landscape. " _Flat, an alien ship crashed first! I have to get on that ship. Blow the detonator!"_ According to the live cameras, Keith was getting close. "Fine! But I swear if you mess this up-" As though her twin read her mind, Keith cut her off and finished the well-known phrase. " _I know, I know. If I mess this up you're going to hang me by my toes._ "

Katherine picked up the map and drew a quick doodle of a spaceship next to the bomb site. "... I don't use that phrase  **that** much. Do I?" Keith smirked at a camera knowingly as he passed. " _Yes, you do._ " Quickly moving the map aside, Kat picked up the laptop that she had the detonation stick sitting on. "I'm blowing the charges in a minute. You're just under half a minute out. I can only guarantee you a three-minute distraction." Quickly typing out the changes to the plan, Kat recorded what was happening in her own version of shorthand, which involved some of the strange codings from her mother's dictionary. " _Got it._ "

Glancing at the first screen again, where the Garrison vehicles sat, Kat felt her anxiety spike. "Stay safe, Sharp." Keith's voice came back over the link, coming through his bit. " _Don't worry,_ _Flat."_  Keith continued with a teasing tone, sensing his twins anxiety rise. _"My middle name is sensible._ " Kat snorted and let herself smile, her brother knew her too well. "No it's not. It's Akia." He laughed loudly. " _Shut up._ "

As Keith pulled to a stop, a loud explosion went off. "Ok, Keith? The charges just detonated." Keith nodded silently to the camera and moved quickly into the ship. "I won't be able to see you inside, so stay safe." The only sound that came through the bit was the sound of Keith's breathing and his footsteps. At the same time, however, several figures came into the camera's view. " _ **Hey!"**   _The sounds of fighting filled the link but Kathrine's eyes followed the three figures. They didn't seem to be Garrison juniors, but she couldn't be sure. "Keith! I know you're busy but you have several bodies entering the ship behind you!" Keith grunted, but Kat wasn't sure if it was in acknowledgment or if it was because he had just socked someone.

The figures disappeared from Kat's view and she was left to rely solely on the sounds coming from Keith's bit. Eyes watching the Garrison vehicles and ears listening to the sounds of fighting slowing down, Kat held her breath. " _Sh-Shiro?!_ " All the air in her lungs escaped her in a single gasp. "Wh-what?! Keith! Did you just-?!" A familiar voice filtered in clearly through the link. " _Nope! no -you- no no no no, you don't! I'm saving Shiro!_ " Laughing in recognition, Kathrine could almost feel Keith's annoyance. "Oh, my word is that Lance?!" Keith dutifully ignored his sister. " _Who are you?_ "

Kat's eyes scanned the Garrison vehicles carefully, watching for a sign of moving back towards the ship. " _Uh, Who am I?!_ _The name's Lance._ " Distracted from her task for a moment, Kat let out a triumphant laugh. "Ha! Told you!" There was a moment of silence and Kat could practically see Keith's deadpan. " _We were in the same class at the Garrison?_ " Lance's voice continued and Kathrine had to bite back a snicker. "Don't you remember, Sharp? He was that one piolet who you always told me about?" Wondering if her twin was glaring at her through time and space, Kat snickered this time. " _Really? Are you, uh, an engineer?_ " Kathrine let out a fake gasp as if she had been wounded. "Are you ignoring me now?"

Lance resumed his explanation but Kat's eyes were drawn back to the Garrison vehicles as several doors opened and men stepped out. " _No! I'm a piolet! You know, Lance and Keith, neck-and-neck!_ " The snark was felt through the link from Keith, but Kat was only half listening. " _Oh wait, I remember you. You're a cargo piolet._ " Looking back at the screen with the ship centered, Kat bit back. "I am so telling him all about our late night talks. Also, Ivy-bone's men are checking the explosives sight right now, Keith. You need to hurry it up." Keith grunted in reply.

" _Well, not anymore. I'm fighter piolet thanks to you washing out._ " Adding her own commentary, Kat defended her twin in a defensive tone. "Well, you didn't really wash out. More like, you cost Ivy-bone an eye." Irritation would be the perfect description of Keith's tone of voice. " _Shut up, Flat. Congratulations to you, Cargo-upgrade._ " Kat gasped as her eyes monitored the Garrison. "It is so **on** , Keith! You're being rude! Also, FYI, the Garrison is now looking mad and booking it."

Sounding confused, Lance's voice filtered through. " _Who are you talking to, Mullet?_ " Kathrine kept her eyes locked on the Garrison vehicles which were moving fast, the ground soldiers trying to keep up. " _Mullet?!_ " Keith's indignant shout made Kat pause for a moment before she snickered. "You know what? I think he might be right, Sharp. I hadn't thought about it until now." 

Keith emerged from the ship carrying a beaten up looking Shiro and a familiar looking boy, he must have been Lance. " _I hate you. Shut up._ " Eyes flicking back over to the quickly approaching Garrison, Kat responded. "Love ya too, Mullet. They're going to be tailgating you if you don't leave now." Keith nodded and made his way over to the hoverbike. " _Got it._ " Lance kept talking. " _Are you talking to your guy in the chair?! Like, Keith Kogane's tech-guy?!_ " Kat snorted, "More like Keith's girl in the chair, but whatever floats your boat,  McClain."

The larger man from earlier was looking through an amped up pair of binoculars and his voice was faintly caught by Keith's bit. " **Oh, man. They're coming back and they do NOT look happy! We got to go!** " Kathrine looked back at the Garrison forces and jumped. "Keith, he's right! You better step on it!" Keith grits his teeth and pushed Shiro onto the bike. " _Don't let him fall, Cargo-_ " Cutting her twin off loudly, Keith winced. "SHARP! Knock it off! You need to get going, NOW!" The larger man and comically tiny figure both swarmed to the hoverbike quickly. " **Uh, do you mind if we catch a ride with you?!** "

Kat looked from one screen to the other. "Keith, that bike can only hold so much weight!" The smaller figure's shouts echoed Kathrine's concerns. "Is this thing going to be big enough for all of us?!" Looking back at his passengers Keith shouted over the shouting. " _No!_ " Lance moved Shiro's body further up the hoverbike and into the smaller one's arms. "Why am I holding this guy?!" No one offered a response. "Keith, what are you going to do? The Garrison is hot on your tail, but you also have passengers." He grunted and sped up a little. " _I know. I'm working on it._ " 

" **We DID all fit!** " The large male shouted, and the hoverbike shot off the camera feed. Kat could no longer track where they were. "Keith?! Where are you going?! I can't see you on the cameras anymore!" Keith didn't offer a response, and the anxiety from earlier struck with a vengeance. " _Can't this thing go any faster?!_ " Lance's voice sounded panicked. " _We could toss out some non-essential weight._ " Keith's dry reply came, but it didn't sooth his twin's panicking. 

" _Oh right!_ " Kat felt offended for the Cuban but her panicked mind was too worried about Keith to defend the other boy. "Keith?! This isn't funny! Don't ignore me!" Nothing. " _Ok, so that was an insult. I get it._ " Keith finally spoke, though it was more of a shout. " _Big man, lean left! Don't worry Kat, I'm taking the Level. I've done this many thousands of times!_ " The bigger boy shouted as the sound of large metal vehicles smashed in the background. " **Oh, man! Mister Harris just wiped out Professor Montgomery! Oh, no no. He's fine!** " Kat's immediate fear went to the others on the hoverbike now, her brother didn't go slow. "Keith! YOU may have done this many thousands of times, but THEY haven't! You're going to kill them!" Keith scoffed. " _Big man, lean right! Don't worry, Kat. I'm not going to kill them!_ " 

Lance's panicked voice broke through more sounds of crashing vehicles. " _WHAT?!_ " Loud shouts and screaming. "Keith?! Did you just jump the ledge?!" The smugness in his voice irritated Kat. " _Nope, that's next!_ " The big male's voice broke through the loud sounds again. " **Guys?! Hat-tat-ta-! Is that a cliff up ahead?!** " Loud shouts filled the air, Lance's being one of the loudest. " _Oh! No no no! No no no!_ " Kathrine jumped up, headset still in place, and rushed onto the front porch. "Keith! Don't you dare do it!" In response to the large boy's terrified shout Keith's reply was one smug word. " _Yep._ "

Glaring at the mouthpiece as if Keith could see her, Kat hissed at Keith. "I can practically see your smirk from here, Sharp. You better not get any of them killed!" Lance's voice echoed Kathrine's threat but in a more panicky tone. " _What are you doing?! You're going to kill us all!_ " How was it that all of their responses were exactly what Kat had said? It was weird. " _Just shut up and trust me!_ " Obviously, the statement was meant for more than the passengers on the hoverbike. "Keith!" The sound of rushing wind ended and the hoverbike made a loud noise of complaint. "Keith! You better not have gotten a single SCRATCH on that hoverbike! Because I swear! If you did anything to mess with the modifications I made-!" Her brother let out a breathy laugh. " _Don't worry, Kat. I lost the Garrison, we managed to get Shiro, and now I'm on my way back._ " Kat looked out at the desert. "That still didn't answer my question if you hurt the hoverbike!" Lance's voice was heard in the background. " _You're talking to a GIRL, Mullet?!_ " 

Kathrine saw the billowing of dust and sand before she saw the hoverbike. "Keith, please tell me you did not kidnap a Holt kid, Hunk, and Lance." Sure enough, along with her brother and kind-of brother, there were three familiar looking kids. "Kathrine?! _Kathrine?!_ " Lance's voice came through in stereo. Wincing at the volume coming through the headset, she took the set off and dropped it on the porch. Keith yelped at the sudden feedback blasting through his earpiece, and Kat quickly picked the headset back up. "Sorry!"

Parking the large hoverbike, Keith glared at Kat. "Be careful with that! Nearly took my ear out!" Kathrine snickered. "Whatever you say, Sharp." Her eyes wandered over to Shiro's body. "So he really **is** here." Moving Shiro's limp body carefully, Keith began to get the unconscious man to his feet. "Come over and help me, Kat." Quickly moving to his side, Kathrine lifted Shiro from the other side, balancing her brother out. "Come inside! It's going to get hot in a few hours, and I don't want Keith to be the one at fault if a snake comes after you." Slowly but surely all five of the teens made it inside and Shiro was laid down on a bed in one of the rooms. 

"How did you guys know that Shiro was going to be there?" Lance's first question to the twins made them hesitate. "Well, we were planning something a little different. Keith and I just got lucky that we planned the explosives to go off tonight." Kat leaned against the board which Keith had hastily covered. "What _were_ you doing? It doesn't seem like it was exactly planned with good intentions." Keith glared at Pidge, but Kathrine just shrugged. "We were planning on setting the explosives to blow and then hijack a Delta Squad's digger. We've been exploring for a year and are still searching for answers." Hunk looked nervous. "Are you saying that you were planning on _stealing_ Garrison equipment?!"

Laughing at Hunk's horror, Katherine waved to the covered board. "Sorry, Hunk. You just sounded so appalled. To answer your question, yes. We were planning on stealing Garrison equipment. But all of this is for something a lot bigger than me or you. Ivy-bone lied to everyone about the Kerberos Mission, and the Kogane Twins have been trying to figure out what in the past year." Keith shrugged at his position near the board. "Iverson does a lot of testing with weaponry in the desert all around, and he's been upgrading our weaponized tech to unbelievable levels. He's already created Hovering Tanks that are in stage five of completion."

Kat's brows furrowed as she looked down at the ground, and spoke thoughtfully. "It's almost as if he's prepping for another world war with some of the tech that Keith and I saw. I'm surprised you guys were even able to get away from their ground patrol." Pidge asked hesitantly, "What do you think happened to the Holts? If Shiro's alive, then the possibility that they are alive too..." Kathrine beamed at the other girl. "Matt and your dad are tough people! If Shiro survived then your family survived. And....Tabs. She'll be alive too. We just have to wait until Shiro wakes up!" 

Keith was surprised that his sister mentioned Tabatha at all. Losing Shiro had been hard for him, and he missed Tabatha too, but it was nothing like the lose and pain Kathrine felt when she found out Tabatha was missing along with Shiro. "So we're just going to wait here until Shiro wakes up and tells us what's going on?" Lance looked back and forth between the two twins. "Well, I guess you guys should call your families. For all we know, the Garrison might put you on the same list as Shiro." Kathrine tossed Lance the only phone in the house, an old brick phone. "It looks ancient but it works the best out here in the middle of nowhere."


	2. Chapter 2

~~"Where is Tabatha Shirogane?!"~~  
~~"Where have you been for the past YEAR?!"~~  
~~"What HAPPENED to you?!"~~

All of these questions raced through Kathrine's mind, but she didn't say anything for the moment. Shiro's brow creased in his sleep and Keith had begun pacing again. Lance was on the porch, calling his family, and the other two stood by the front door as they glanced worriedly at the "dead" piolet. Shiro had been in prisoner rags, but our dad's old clothing fit him just fine. It really was reminiscent of his role in the Kogane Twin's lives.

Keith was the first one of the two of them to meet Shiro. It was at his school, and he did something that got him in lots of trouble but Shiro had helped him. He offered Keith a chance to get into the Galaxy Garrison, and when Keith refused to leave Kathrine, offered the other twin an opportunity to go to the Galaxy Garrison as well. Kathrine had quickly met Shiro after that, but she was too shy to talk around him. It wasn't until the first day at the Garrison that Kathrine Kogane met Tabatha Shirogane. They had made an instant connection.

On a very normal day, nothing normal had happened. Tabatha was gone. Shiro was gone. Keith was kicked out of the Garrison. Kat was not about to have her only remaining family disappear from her life, so she had followed her twin into the desert and to her dad's old shack. 

A loud sneeze drew her out of her thoughts with a jump. Pidge/Katie- Kat was going to call her Kage, Or maybe Pie- flushed as she sniffed slightly. "Sorry, allergies." Kat frowned, there weren't any animals around that she was aware of. "That's strange, there aren't-" A loud cry of panic came from Shiro as he fell off the couch in a loud commotion.

"SHIRO!"

"TAKASHI!"

The twins rushed to his side immediately, trying to calm him down. "N-No! You have to understand! Th-the Galra are coming!" He struggled to push the two away, not realizing where he really was. "Sh-Shiro! Calm down!" Keith pinned Shiro's very human arm down, but Kat couldn't do the same for his metal arm. Glowing purple, the arm began to burn. "OW!" Kathrine yanked her body way, her hands stinging powerfully. "K-Kat?!" Shiro's voice was now panicky for an entirely different reason. She knew that he hadn't meant to hurt her, but the nerves in her hands felt like they were burning still. 

"Move! Quickly!" Kage was by her side in a moment, demanding to see the injured hands with prying fingers. "Katherine, how badly does this hurt?" Kat bit her lip and winced. "A-A lot. I should have sEEEN IT COMING! OOOW!" Kage had slapped something onto Kat's palms. "What was that for?!" Kage released her hands with a smug smirk. "Does it hurt any more?" Only now did Kat realize that the pain was fading already. "Wh-what? Did you invent this, Kage?" The younger teen made a face at the nickname. "What? Did you just call me Kage?" Kat smirked as she tilted the medical stick in her hands. "Well, I was either going to call you Kage or Pie. Kage just felt right at the moment. It's the perfect mix between Pidgeon and the other name."

Kage frowned, brow creasing. "How did you-?" Kat winked at her and stood, still holding the medical stick. "Shiro are you ok?" The new white lock hung in his face, but it didn't cover his eyes. "K-Kat, I-I  _hurt_ you!" She frowned, eyebrows drawing together in confusion. "What?" Building in her surrogate dad's eyes were tears. "My arm _burned you_ and I was trying to-" He choked himself off. 

Understanding dawned in Kat's mind. "No. That metal arm is clearly not you, パパ ( _Papa -_ Dad). It's not _your_ arm. The arm doesn't sound like it's  _yours_ , but the aliens you keep mentioning.  _Galra_. 金 ( _Kin-_ Money), you-" She froze as her hand landed on the metal arm.  ~~TABATHA?! WAKE UP! PLEASE! I STILL NEED YOU! YOU CAN'T BE TAKEN FROM ME TOO~~ ~~! PLEASE! TABA~~  - Katherine yanked her hand backward, gasping. "Wh-Where's Tabatha?" The confusion and fear swirled together in his grayed eyes. "I'm sorry, who?"

The front door of the cabin swung open loudly, and Lance walked in. "No te preocupes mis mejores cohortes, y hermosa dama, ¡he regresado!" ( _Don't worry my fine cohorts, and beautiful lady, I have returned!_ ) The Spanish rolled off his tongue so easily that Kat would have assumed he had just been speaking to his family in Spanish, but she was too busy trying not to cry. 

The small cabin seemed even smaller now that there were more people in it. Too small. Kat ran passed everyone and through the open door. "KAT!" She ignored her father's shout. Swinging onto the hoverbike easily, Kathrine Kogane sped away into the desert.

 

* * *

 

 

Sighing, Kat shook the sand out of her hair. The shack was at least an hour drive bike on the hoverbike, but with the thing broken it would take even longer. "I wish I had grabbed something before I ran off." Talking to herself, out loud, was something that she did often when Keith was gone doing something else. It filled the empty air around her and made her feel less . . . alone. A small hiss burst from out of nowhere, making Kat jump. "What the-?" Gingerly moving around the bike, the teen looked for the origin of the sound. On the opposing side of the bike, a petite and muddy kitten was facing down a snake.  "OH MY-!" She choked off when the snake's attention swiveled to her and it coiled, ready to strike in the blink of an eye. Before the snake could dart forward to bite her, the tiny little kitten pounced on it. 

Within moments, the snake was dead and the dirty kitten was splattered in blood. "That is the most eager kill I have ever seen." Was all that Kat could say as she watched the yellow, pupiless eyes bore into her soul, the feline flicking its tail thoughtfully. It then stood on its two hind legs and latched onto Kat's pant leg, purring. Kat nearly screamed. This little beast had taken down a venomous snake within seconds and in the next several moments had attached itself to her leg. "What the  _heck_?!" What kind of a cat are you?!" Purring in response, the little claws on the cat's paws dug into Kat's skin. "Ow-ow-ow-ow-ow!"

Wobbling backward to sit on the bike's seat, Kat bit her lip in pain. Now she was kind of wishing she  _was_ alone. Then the image of Tabatha flashed in her mind, and Kat decided that monstrous company was better than none at all. As if sensing the teen's pain, the little gremlin thing began to climb up her leg and into her lap. "Um-ow! That really hurt!" Katherine was sure that her pant leg was now torn and bloodied. It purred at her, wide eyes blinking innocently. Glaring back at it, Kat crossed her arms. "Don't try to act innocent! I _saw_ what you did to that snake! And I can  **feel** what you've done to my leg!" Once again it just blinked and continued to purr.

A loud  **rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrkkttrrrrrr** filled Kat's ears, and with a start, she realized she recognized it. It was a new Garrison vehicle that had been made a month ago. Another bombastic sound cracked in the air for a moment and the teen jumped. Looking down, Kat saw the kitten.

In the moment she had looked away, the innocent looking puffball had turned into a terrified and dangerous kitten. Its ears twitched and then flattened, back arching as its tail flew straight up. At this moment, Kat saw something happen. The tail didn't puff, it stayed thin as a piece of rope, but it vibrated violently. The tiny little creature didn't hiss either, it let out a loud cracking sound that shouldn't have been possible. Kat realized how different from a cat this creature was as it tensed. It had a more humanoid figure, though it was still very young and still had more feline characteristics. 

" **YOU ARE UNDER ARREST BY THE GALAXY GARRISON UNDER ORDERS OF GENERAL IVERSON! PUT YOUR HANDS IN THE AIR!** " Looking back, a very old-timey looking tank was making its way across the desert sand, only it glowed with modern technology that didn't come from the 21st century. Going to stand up, Katherine realized that the kitten on her lap had vanished. " **I REPEAT! YOU ARE UNDER ARREST BY THE ORDERS OF GENERAL IVERSON, THE HEAD OF THE GALAXY GARRISON! PUT YOUR HANDS IN THE AIR!** "

Katherine Kogane obeyed and as the tank pulled nearer. Breathing in pointedly, Kat felt the thick dry desert air fill her lungs. "I must be in a lot of trouble."

 

* * *

 Hey, guys! This is where the chapter splits and I am deviously planing now! Hope you enjoyed it! If you have any questions, make sure to drop a comment down below! Thanks for reading! Have a great night/day!

 


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "You are going to take us to the location your brother illegally brought Takashi Shirogane to. Everyone involved will be detained until Iverson has given the release order."

"You're going to get your buddies, and then you are all being detained at the Garrison." The officer shoved Katherine forwards, making her hiss softly. Pushing the door open, the teen nearly burst into tears. The cabin was empty, and Kat felt a pit drop in her abdomen. "Where are they?" The officer's voice was sharp and accusing. "I-I don't know! Th-they should be here!" The bruise on her arm from where he had grabbed her throbbed.

Kat's eyes searched the shack frantically.

~~Keith's board?! The map, diagrams, and notes, it's all gone?!~~

Keith had left, it wasn't even a question.  

"I-I don't kn-know where they are-" the man hissed, "-B-But! I h-have a live a-audio recording g-going at o-on the weekends!" The man motioned for Kat to continue. "Then play it, and if it really does have any value, we'll take it." With trembling hands, Katherine grabbed her computer and pulled up the systems. Only looking at the man once as a moment of hesitation, Kat pressed play. The silence of static filled the air until her conversation with Keith over the headset played loudly over the speakers. The guard commanded that she sped through this part, so she obeyed.

Lance's voice came over the speakers and he barked, "Slow it down to normal time!"

 _"_ No te preocupes mis mejores cohortes _, y_ hermosa _dama, ¡he_ regresado _!"_ Lance's voice continued in Spanish. He must have been speaking to his family in Spanish as well. 

Shiro's voice broke through the speakers so loudly that Kat was worried the speakers would burst. _"Kat!"_  

The sound of the hoverbike starting was faint and could barely be heard as Keith spoke.  _"Don't worry about Kat, Shiro. She'll be back. This is all just a little hard for her to handle at the moment. But, it's good to have you back."_

There was a moment of hesitation before Shiro spoke again. _"Heh. It's good to be back."_

Keith paused, and Kat could almost see her brother's face in her mind.  _"So what happened out there? Where... were you?"_  

Kat wanted to hear what Shiro was going to say, but the guard demanded that I speed the audio back up. When he instructed that Kat slow it back down, Kage's voice came through the speakers midsentence.  _"-crew make it out?"_

Katherine tensed in anticipation. There was a chance that Shiro really did know who Tabs was. _"I'm not sure."_ Kat's heart sank, "I remember the mission and being captured. After that, it's just bits and pieces." 

Kat tried not to cry, she wouldn't cry in front of this man. Hunk's voice boomed over the speakers. _"Yeah, sorry to interrupt, but back to the aliens. Where are they now? Are they coming? Are they coming for all of us? Like where are they at this very moment?"_  

Kat could practically see the man off to her side tense in anticipation.  _"I can't really put it together. I-I remember the word "Voltron". It's some kind of weapon-"_

"CUT THE AUDIO!" The guard's loud shout made Kat jump and let out a small shriek, but she quickly shut off the audio. "I've heard enough! We're taking all of this to Iverson! Get your bags, we're leaving in 20."  

A thick anxiety filled Kat's chest as she stumbled towards the back of the shack. Stuffing things haphazardly into the first bag she had grabbed, the frightened teen didn't notice when she packed her mother's dictionary or the three items of clothing that didn't belong to her. Within minutes she had packed a single bag but realized that she would need another bag for her electronics. There wasn't a bag that big inside the old shack. Dumping a box of Keith's comics onto the bed, Kat began to pile as many electronics as she could. She was going to have to leave behind a lot, but that didn't mean she wouldn't bring all she could. 

By the time she had filled the box to the rim, emptied it and filled it again, the guard came back into the shack. "We're leaving **now**." Forcefully yanking the bag and box out of her arms he turned grumpily and moved out the front door. "Wait! I need to get my bag from the hoverbike!" The towed vehicle was sitting outside next to the shack, so Kat knew that it would be reasonable. "Fine, grab it. You have to carry it the whole way."

Quickly making her way to the bike, Kat grabbed the large leather bag with the red rope strap. Her heart ached as the color made her think of Keith. Ignoring the fact that the bag seemed heavier, she ran back to the large tank. "Time to be escorted back to the Garrison, Miss Kogane." The guard's partner rolled her eyes and huffed, obviously not impressed by her partner's ruff attitude. "You know as well as I do that the Garrison isn't a prison, Liroy." He muttered something under his breath and looked away, sulking. "We're worried about what happened, Katherine. We want to help you, and keeping you at the Garrison until the boys have returned is what will help you. We have no clue what happened to Takashi or if he'll hurt them-" 

Anger filled Kat's veins in a sudden breath. "Takashi would never hurt them! He would never hurt me!" His purple glowing arm flashed through her mind for a moment. More quietly, Katherine added. "Not on purpose." The female guard nodded. "You're right. Takashi Shirogane would never hurt anyone he loved so dearly. The problem is that he has been missing in space for 2 years, Katherine, and we have no clue what happened during that time. He now has a metal arm, was panicking about aliens, and has a visible scar on his face. The chance that he has more scars is very probable. There is also a great chance that he could be suffering from PTSD, Post Traumatic-Stress Disorder. You're not here because you're in trouble, and neither is your brother. We are just very, very worried."

All the anger rushed out in the next breath, and tears blurred Katherine's sight. "H-His metal arm accidentally b-burned my hands. H-he had woken up in a panic, s-so, Keith and I tried to m-make sure he d-didn't hurt himself, a-and, and, his-the arm s-started to g-glow. I-I moved m-my hands i-immediately, b-but the d-damage was already done." The female guard was silent for a moment. "I'm glad you shared that with me Katherine. I'm sure we can help you more now. I'm Veronica and this is my temporary partner Liroy."

The male spluttered. "T-Temporary?! We were just assigned last week!" Victoria's glare cut into him as she glanced away from the road. "And when we get back, I'm having someone get me a new partner. One who doesn't terrorize innocent teenagers!" Liroy's squinty eyes widened before narrowing, his pale face regaining some pink. "I'm as sure as my hair is red, that you aren't allowed to get reassigned a partner." His hair was very obviously not red, or orange. Liroy's hair was an ugly yellow that he had obviously dyed. "Well, then I guess I'm lucky that your hair isn't red, aren't I?"

Kat smiled slightly through her tears. Veronica was nice, and Kat really liked her. In a painful way, she almost reminded Kat of Tabatha. "C-call me Kat. Katherine is my full name, but only-" Kat cut herself off. Tabs was still missing. "-no one calls me that anymore." The way Veronica's smile curved up was almost exactly how Tabatha used to smile in the mornings after Kat had made a really bad pun. "Kat? I like it. Veronica McClain, at your service! But you can call me Ver if you want!" Kat's heart almost stopped.

~~Veronica Mclain?! AS IN LANCE MCCLAIN?!~~

"L-Lance is your brother, and he is missing too . . . isn't he?" Veronica's smile faded slightly as she nodded. "Ya. No one has seen him since the lockdown happened last night." Katherine bit her lip for a moment. "Wh-When Keith took Takashi from the crash site, three other cadets from the Garrison were there. Hunk, Lance McClain, and Pidge. U-um, he called his family before I ran off. I-In all likely hoods . . . Lance is with my brother and my fa-Takashi, and the same for the other two." Veronica was completely silent for a moment. "Wh-what was the last thing h-he said to you, Kat?" 

Katherine hesitated for a moment, trying to remember. "I-I don't r-really remember. H-He said something i-in Spanish. S-Something like . . . _No tea pre-octopuses miss mejores cohorts, 'E' hermosa dam-a, 'E' regresd?_ " Veronica laughed. "Did he say 'No te preocupes mis mejores cohortes, y hermosa dama, ¡he regresado!' or was it something else?" Kat shook her head, "N-no, I'm pretty sure th-that's what he said. Wh-what does it mean?"

Smirking Veronica glanced at Katherine, "Lance flirted with you as he emphasized how big his ego is. He called you a beautiful lady." Kat flushed, eyes wide. "F-Flirt?! B-beautiful?!" She squeaked out. Keith and Kat had lived in almost complete solitude for 2 years, only having each other for company. Talking about boys, or flirting with boys was  **never** part of the conversation . . . like,  **ever.**  "¡Sí!" Veronica laughed. "My brother will flirt with any girl he thinks es linda! It has gotten him into a lot of trouble before! Besides, he's not wrong to call you beautiful. You look a lot like my cousin Julia! She's the pearl of us all!"

Somehow, Veronica had already become the older sister that Katherine needed within minutes of meeting her. Veronica made Kat think about Tabatha. It made her heartache, and although it made Kat feel sad I also allowed her to happily reminiscence about it. Still blushing, Kat ducked her head. "Th-thanks." Liroy muttered something darkly under his breath but didn't make any another sound after Veronica had thrown a bag of peanuts at him.

The bag on Katherine's lap began to shift, giving the teen a mini heart-attack. Flipping the cover open, two tiny fuzzy ears popped out. Slowly the rest of the fuzzy head emerged from the bag. ~~What are you doing in my bag?!?!?!~~

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For the audio that is canon, I found it at this link [down below] but I did change it slightly so that it could be used in this au.  
> http://vld.wikia.com/wiki/The_Rise_of_Voltron/Transcript 
> 
> It's SUPER cheesy, I know, but I think I might keep it as it is - though it, admittedly, did not go as I thought I had planned for it to go.


	4. Hope

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Can you figure out what’s happening? When you do, how frustrated are you? Be sure that you describe it in great detail. This is, after all, another test trial. Let’s try to get some results this time, ok? You wouldn’t want me to call in the Druids again, would you?

The room was a pastel yellow, and the ground was a cotton candy blue. It was horrendous, this all had to be a dream. The door on the far side opened from seemingly no where. Another galra medic stood there, tablet in hand. 

“Goodbye, 3652.” With that, he exited as if nothing had happended. Tension and fear strung her out like a fishing pole...er...a clothesline. Ya, like a clothesline. Where they finially going to kill her? They had already taken everything else from her. A loud blaring alarm burst through cracks. The screen all around split and displayed a familiar ‘no signal’ color bars. Something was happening. 

Several entries opened and Tabatha felt her heart leap into her throat. She could hear druids shouting orders to squads. 

_You’re never going to keep me tied down ever again Zarkon._

Slipping out of the closest hole, Tabatha entered the much darker and muted hallways and was blind for a moment. 

_This could be faster if I had **two** eyes._

Swallowing the bitter taste in her mouth, Shirogane continued to move down the hall with her hand against the wall. It was a miracle that she didn’t have to escape with any injury...open injuries. The hall was much too dark for her to see properly, and her one ear was still ringing with the sound of cracking glass.

“Sir! The lions are trying to disable our can-” The ship shook and rocked like it was on the ocean. Tabatha had to grab a column in the hall in order to stay standing.

”SEND MORE OF THE SQUADRONS THEN!” 

Care fully stepping back in her previous tracks, she crept closer to the sound of his voice. She was on the farthest end of the ship....AWAY from the escape pods. Maybe she could...

Reaching out slowly with her arm, Tabatha closed her good eye (she had to assume that the second eye was also closed) and consentrated on the quintessence that was all around her. 

She breathed out slowly, and then yanked against every quintessencial personage. That’s fancy speak for saying that she used telekinesis to pull every galra in the control room inot the wall. 

Loud shouts, growles, and hisses broke out immediately. Focusing more intensely, Tabatha chanted softly under her breath. Maybe she could survive this long enough to find her family.

“WATCH OUT!” 

* * *

 

**Author's Note:**

> I'm going to probably go back and add more story where there is (- - - - - -) these line breaks, and add more detail. This is going to follow all canon events with a few tweaks here and there, but this story (for now) is mostly about Kathrine Kogane. Love all of you lovely readers! And I hope you have a great day/night! Keep Smiling :)! ♥


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